HISTORY

1803 year

Odessa was one of the first in the to have access to such a noble drink as cognac. Since 1803, the city port handles cognacs produced by the famous homes in France.

1840 year

In South Palmyra, extreme popularity gains cognac that is called the French vodka here. Active development of backyard industry of the drink takes place, which leads to establishment of the real cognac production in Odessa.

1863 year

Nikolai Leontevich Shustov founds his own distilling enterprise and the brand “Shustov”. The brand range includes wine, liqueur, nastoika and spotykach. The conquering of the market takes place under the severe competition, with the brand relying not on quantity but on quality.

1896 year

After Shustov’s three sons enter the successful business the company is converted into the “Partnership of cognac and vodka factories, storages of Russian grape wines of Nikolai Leontevich Shustov & sons.” The partnership is doing its business throughout the empire. Shustov pays particular attention to the region of Bessarabia and Odessa – as an ideal place to develop private cognac production and import the products through the port of Odessa.

1897 year

Distilling factory of the Winemaking Partnership, located at Bugaevka in Odessa, produces first Odessa cognac called “Phoenix.”

1899 year

Joint-Stock Company Black Sea winemaking, liqueur and cognac production is created in Odessa. Its founders are intending to “arrange and operate factories to make cognac out of grape wines in Odessa.” For this reason, the Company purchased the land at 23 Melnichnaya Street, where Odessa Cognac Factory will be located later.

1900 year

The biggest Shustov’s victory was awarding their products the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. It was then that the Shustovs were honoured to write cognac on their products, and not a customary brandy.

1903 year

Shustov Partnership opens its agency in Odessa at 12 Skobeleva Street (Evreiskaya). Odessa agency provides the entire south-western region of the Russian Empire with its high quality strong Shustov’s products.

1911 year

To expend its activity, Shustov & sons Partnership purchases the land at 23 Melnichnaia Street which used to belong to the Joint-Stock Company Black Sea winemaking.

1912 year

The Shustovs open a branch of the Partnership in Odessa at the purchased land, the so-called Central storages of cognac and grape wines. In the same year, the Partnership received the title of a Supplier of His Imperial Majesty Court. By this time, the Awards of Shustov Products include – Grand Prix in Turin, London, Liege, Milan, London, and Naples. For the victory at the World Exhibition in Paris the Shustovs receive the right to write the word cognac on the labels, and not brandy – no manufacturer whose origins were outside France was ever awarded such honour.

1913 year

By the 50th anniversary of the partnership's foundation the annual income was approaching 10,000,000 roubles. Today, this amount is the equivalent of several hundred million dollars. The production of cognac brought the company to the fourth place in the world, and in the production of nastoika and liqueurs led to the first one. Shustov found six foreign agencies in Paris, London, Rotterdam, Chicago, Brussels and Melbourne.

1921 year

With the advent of the Soviet regime the Shustovs Company in Odessa raised its status. Central storage of the partnership was renamed to “ex-factory Shustov”, and in course of time to Odessa Cognac Factory.

1929 year

Odessa cognac factory was the name used for Odessa Shustov factory by that time already. The factory produced 39 different products: wine, cognac, grape vodka, aperitif wine, punch and liqueur.

1947 year

In the post-war period, the revival of cognac production at Odessa Cognac Factory (OCF) began in 1947. A year later, the blending shop of the company produced the first post-war cognac “Three Stars.”

1956 year

Odessa cognac factory started operating as cognac full-cycle factory again. Here, the native cognac spirits are distilled, which are stored for aging in the oak barrels for many years. Until 1956, the OCF is the only manufacturer of cognac in Ukraine.

1998 year

The factory has successfully developed the resource base and restored the lost vineyards. In the village Velikodolinskoe (in the past – “Grosslibental” which in Russian means the “The Valley of Big Love”) near Odessa the first seedlings of elite varieties of grapes, purchased in France – from the world famous nursery- gardens Monsieur Raymond – were planted on the 660 hectares.

1999 year

The production volume at Odessa Cognac Factory was 615 thousand decalitres or 57.5% of total cognac output in Ukraine.

2002 year

A new shop of cognac distilling with the highest capacity in Europe starts its operation at OCF. It is equipped with distillation units of the French company Prulho from French province of Charente. Prulho is considered a trendsetter in production of equipment for cognac distillation.

2006 year

A new modern complex of the primary winemaking was launched in Velikodolinskoe. As the result, Odessa Cognac Factory becomes the leading Ukrainian enterprise of a full production cycle.

2012 year

The European Business Assembly awarded Odessa Cognac Factory a special prize and status of “The Best Cognac Company in Europe.” The experts noted the fact that the company has been producing cognac under the classical French technology for more than hundred years, the way it is done in the region of Cognac.